Saying so long to August

Happy Sunday everyone! It's a coolish morning for us but it will warm up. The forecast for the week is looking good except maybe for Wednesday. I woke up feeling somewhat nostalgic as we are entering the last week of August. There is no denying it, it's starting to feel like Fall. When I got up at 6 this morning to give Cooper his pill, it was bright enough in the kitchen that I didn't need to turn the light on but I'm thinking that I will have to in a couple of weeks. 

This past week was good. We had a few nice walks, some in the company of our usual crowd at the park. Russell cut the grass on Wednesday and it needs to be cut again. Our apple trees are still dropping apples. They are quite big and the squirrels are having a feast. I picked up two buckets last week before grass cutting. 

Yesterday afternoon, I was on the deck and noticed a black and orange bird in the apple trees. I had never seen it before. Russell came out with his big camera lens and was able to capture it. We believe it is an American Redstart. There were a few of them actually. They haven't been to our feeders so we're guessing they prefer fruit to seeds. Beautiful to watch. I hope to see them again today.

Our pooches are doing well. I continue to measure Cooper's resting respiratory rate every two days or so. It's in a good range. Yesterday morning, he was on the deck with me. It was quiet, too early for the squirrels to play and make noise so I got a good measurement. Spicy's is good also 💗

We have a busy start to our week. Today, Cooper and Spicy are getting a bath. Russell will get going around 9 ish. It takes about one hour for each from start to finish. They will be all clean and smelling like roses for their wellness exam tomorrow morning with Dr. Stiles. Tomorrow is also our 41st wedding anniversary. It will be a quiet and relaxing day. I will make us a special dinner.

Tuesday, we get our heat pump/furnace installed. It's a one day job. Coop and Spicy will get excited at first when the crew shows up then they will settle down.

The rest of our week should be uneventful. I will go to the market and hopefully buy some Delicata Squash. It should be out by now. Another sign that a new season is upon us.

That's my blog for today. Russell and Cooper had their breakfast. I will feed Spicy soon. She is all stretched out in her bed in the kitchen. Have a great week everyone, see you in September!

Deck time and comfort...doesn't get any 
better.

Cooper hanging out under the 
Zebra grass.

Spicy having a walkabout with the 
rudbeckia as a backdrop.

Cooper taking a mid morning nap while
I check his Resting Respiratory Rate (RRR).

Spicy deep in thought...wonder
what she is contemplating.

An American Redstart in our apple tree.

Evening sky with vapour trails and
billowing clouds.

The perfect August morning

Happy Sunday everyone! We woke up to an incredible orange sky this morning. I wasn't quick enough to take a photo but it was spectacular. It will be a beauty of a day.

All is good with us. This past week flew by. We had good weather for the most part and enjoyed some nice walks with our duo. Once again, we ran into our favorite people at the park. On Friday, we also ran into Martha and Gerry and their 13 year old Lhasa Apso. We hadn't seen them since last Winter.  

My brother came for lunch on Wednesday. I made chicken quesadillas. It was yummy. On Friday, I had a pedicure and went for a bright neon pink colour, Beach Cruiser by Orly. I was in the mood for something different and I got it LOL!

Our new heat pump and furnace will be installed on August 29. It will be a good job done. This particular heat pump will run, without the furnace, up to -30 celsius. Our current one runs up to -12 C. It will make for a much more energy efficient rating. It will also put less load on the generator if we lose power during the Winter. 

We have friends that live in Kelowna. They had to evacuate their home for a couple of days when the fire jumped Lake Okanagan. Our hearts go out to all dealing with those fires, be it in BC, Yellowknife, Northern Quebec and everywhere else in the world. It's heartbreaking to read about the stories. I suppose our rainy Summer is not so bad after all. We sure are counting our blessings.

We got our new Dyson V15 Detect Total Clean Cordless Stick vacuum. For those who asked, Russell was kind enough to write a little review. Here it is: More powerful and quiet than the old V10. Power on button allows control of cleaner head speed (Econo, Auto and Boost). Screen displays battery power remaining at each speed. Multi-surface cleaner head adjusts to surface, hardwood or carpet. It also has anti hair tangle feature ... Cooper & Spicy's hair no longer wraps around the beater bar. The slim fluffy cleaner head has a laser to reveal dust and particles on the floor...can't miss any. So, there you have it from our resident expert vacuumer! 

That's my blog for today. I have a few pics of the pooches, one of our hydrangea, which is in full bloom and a close up of our river plum tree. The squirrels have been devouring the little plums. I also gave in and bought a Fall planter for the deck. It's pretty and colourful. 

Have a great week everyone! 

The duo with dewy paws taking a rest on a 
boulder during our Edgewater Park walk.

Cooper doing his best workout antics while I
did mine, gotta love that face!

The Spice girl with dreamy eyes.

Ever faithful and always
hopeful grilling buddy!

Limelight hydrangea in full
bloom soon to turn lime green.

An experiment with the iPhone 14
this photo captured using Contour
Light to show off the Black-eyed
Susans.

Back deck Fall planter with a lovely 
mix of colour & textures:
Blacked-eyed Susans, sedum
and peppers.

River plums ripening and ready for the 
squirrels.

Fall Mums are out!

Happy Sunday everyone! It's almost mid-August and sure enough the Fall Mums are out. I saw them at Metro on Friday. Same time every year without fail. I didn't buy any. Our planters are still looking good. Just the same, a small reminder that a new season is at our door steps. 

This past week was good and the weather was decent. Our pooches got many walks in and we ran into our favorite people, Pauline and her lovely PON Matisse, and Errol. On Thursday, as we were chatting away with Errol, I noticed an older man sitting on a chair, drawing. He kept looking at us. We walked over to him and sure enough he was doing a sketch of the five of us. We chatted for a while, a fascinating man. He gave us his drawing. When you look at it closely, you can see Spicy's little black nose, Cooper by Russell's side facing Errol. I thought this drawing deserved a place in my blog.

We decided to go ahead with the install of a new heat pump. In order to qualify for a rather substantial government grant, we had to get an Energy Efficiency Evaluation done on our house, which was performed two weeks ago. We chose Nedair as our supplier (thanks to Paul for the recommendation). The measurements will be done this coming Friday and the install sometime in September. It will be a good job done.

Cooper and Spicy are doing well. They will have their annual exam at the end of the month. Coop lost the weight that he had put on, not from lack of eating, perhaps from chasing those squirrels. We're keeping an eye on it. I continue to regularly measure his resting respiratory rate, as well as Spicy's. Both are good. I was in touch with a friend the other day and it was a reminder that their heart condition can progress very quickly, even when all seems under control. We understand the realities of it which is why we treasure each day with those two little angels. 

Not much else is happening with us. It's been a quiet but nice Summer so far. Not over yet! It's 8 am, Russell and Cooper had their breakfast. Soon time for the princess to have hers. No walk for us today, it will be a lazy kind of day. On the menu tonight, feta and basil turkey burgers. Something different. I leave you with some random photos taken last week. Have a great week everyone! 

The backyard garden in full bloom!

Cooper knows that the pesky squirrel is 
still on the tree...who will budge first, is it a
stand-off ?!

Nerf Super Soaker ready to blast a few
squirrels.

Joined at the hip....

Spicy surveying her domain....

Chasing squirrels sure makes her hungry...
Spicy licks her lips just thinking about it.

A pencil sketch of our chat with Errol 
captured by the artist known as ZAYD...
see Spicy's little nose as she stands next 
to me.

Hello August!

Hello everyone and happy Sunday! Another gorgeous morning, it promises to be a warm and sunny day. We will enjoy it as we might have a few rainy days this week. 

This past week was good and quiet. We walked Cooper and Spicy a few times and ran into Matisse the PON on Tuesday. The three pooches seem to recognize each other now. It's nice. Yesterday, we ran into Errol. He was having his coffee  and takeout breakfast sandwich on a bench. Spicy went straight to him. There seems to be a thing going on between those two!

We had some rain on Thursday. It was supposed to be a very stormy day, with thunder and possible tornadoes. Beaconsfield escaped it although we did have a thunderstorm during the night. When it rains, it gives me a chance to get a few things done around the house. I washed some of the many blankets that belong to Spicy. I also washed the snuffling mats, using the delicate cycle and air dry. They turn out like new each time. 

I'm having fun making some of the salads from the Mandy's recipe books. I got myself her second book which is as good as the first one. My goal is to make two new salads each week. Last week, we had one that had parmesan roasted brussels sprouts and apple in it. It was delicious. It makes for a side dish that is full of little surprises. 

Yesterday afternoon, Russell went to the Baie D'Urfe Vintage Vehicle Expo. It was the perfect day for it. For those of you who like vintage cars, you will enjoy some of the photos that Russell took. 

The other day, we were looking at my Aeroplan Account and decided to use some of the points to...wait for it...get a Dyson V15Detect Total Clean Cordless Stick Vacuum. Not quite a ticket to Barbados LOL! We already have an older model which we love, it's well over 7 years now and works like a charm.  We use it multiple times a day, every day, all year long. It's nice to get a freebie once in a while. 

It's 7:15 am now. Time to feed Mr. Cooper. He's pretending to sleep under the kitchen table, patiently waiting. Miss Spicy is having her pre-breakfast nap. She will eat around 8:30, she doesn't like to be rushed in the morning. That's my blog for today. I wish you all a great week!

A Shelby Cobra at the Baie D'Urfe Vintage
Vehicle Expo.

More chrome than necessary but that was
the deal back in the day for this vintage
Buick.

A 1957 Cadillac Eldorado...what a bumper!

Candy apple red VW Dune Buggy!

A 1957 Corvette, stunning in silver.

Corvette...a demon in black.

Cooper at the table, full of smiles.

Spicy giving Russell some love as 
she does her grilling buddy duties.

The definition of 'two peas in a pod'. 

Spicy says, do I have to get up for breakfast now?

A wave of rudbeckia in the back garden.

Rudbeckia nestled in the Zebra grass.